Research Article
The Significance of the Ambiguity and Vagueness in Korean Education
서울교육대학교
Published: January 2017 · Vol. 52, No. 2 · pp. 315-341
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20880/kler.2017.52.2.315
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to suggest a desirable educational direction for ambiguous expressions and vague expressions. The ambiguity and vagueness in the language is a natural phenomenon that occurs due to the recognition of individual and society in the language world. Therefore it should be taught as part of nature of language. It is advantageous to intentionally use ambiguous and vague expressions in the following cases: calembour such as mystery and humorous text, attention effect on advertisement text, and strategies to care for listeners. The ambiguity and vagueness of the meaning must be resolved when it interferes with communication using expressions lacking specificity. In this case, it is desirable to distinguish the lexical ambiguity, structural ambiguity, and pragmatic ambiguity. We must first recognize ambiguity and vagueness as nature of language in Korean education. Then there is a balance between education to resolve them and education to use them with a purpose.
